What is a Good Way to Attach a Pull Line to a Trailer Hitch on a Pickup Truck?

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I've used a porty plenty when available. I had a monster shackle that I haven't seen for a while, given to me by a customer. I liked that for a connector to a pintle hitch because it was a little fatter, big enough to fit over the ball on a combination hitch (ball and pintle), and would never slip out of a loose pintle. So that was quick, easy and reliable..

When there is no pintle or porty and all you have is a ball hitch for half inch line, I use a doubled bowline, which is like a bowline on a bight, except it has three loops instead of two. Doubled bowline is a great midline knot, the only problem it can have is if one of the tree loops slips off the anchor, then it will lock up hard! And there is a tendency for one loop to slip off a ball hitch, when just laid over top of the ball, especially with a high angle of the pull line. So it's much better to drop the three loops over the side of the bar, using the ball to hold the top of the loops and the nut on the bottom of the ball to hold the bottom of the loops... ( a picture would be so much easier) Then to ensure that one of the loops doesn't slip off, use the tail of the rope to whip the loops with a couple of doubled half hitches.... Again picture would be better...

Three strand is very dynamic. If you break it, it will rocket àpart. A piece of plywood to protect the operator of the puller is advisable for hard pulls. Ropes lose strength.

With anchoring the RP with knotted half- inch rope, as an anchor sling, you are maybe not making the rigging rope the weak link in your system. If your anchor sling breaks, the RP will be part of the rocket.

As Brian said, appropriate line angle, slightly upward to hitch if possible, is important.

Thanks for the safety tip, SeanKroll.
I had wondered about that aspect, but I figured Maasdam sold a lot of these rope pullers and if there were a lot of accidents they wouldn't sell them.... yeah, I know, pretty naive.
Got to get a piece of plywood now.

- Robert
Quit city job... Now, slowly learning and doing in general direction of some kind of tree work.